I recently had a conversation with a baby boomer from northern Sydney, who was complaining about the vast number of things she had acquired while living in her house, which she had bought over 20 years ago.

While I appreciate her tone of optimism, it would be difficult to say that I found much hope in what she said.  

Varsha Yajman works multiple part time jobs but finds her bank balance is dwindling during the cost-of-living crisis.

Surviving your 20s

They say your 20s are the best time to live out your life — so why does it feel like most of us are just trying to survive?

Nowadays, fewer than one in four Australian GP clinics provide bulk billing to all patients, and more than 500 clinics switched to private billing in 2023, according to a report by Cleanbill.

Many young people question whether they can afford to have children, or even if they should, given the increasing severity and frequency of climate change disasters across the world.  

Choosing to doomscroll

When I have presented to health services for these disorders, I have not been believed; I have been made to feel guilty, ashamed and lazy.

It gives me comfort when I remind myself that it’s okay to have difficulty in finding the balance between self-care and engaging with real-world issues — there is no perfect balance.

Plans for the future

I might just be renting forever, or if I did want to buy a place, it would be nowhere close to the city, my friends, or my community.

Varsha Yajman takes part in climate activism but fears people have more urgent needs than solving the climate crisis.

I’ve had friends who have been evicted from their rentals and friends who have to take legal action against landlords just to get their bond back.